NEWS RELEASE – Statement by the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Trust (SAHRDT)            Johannesburg, July 26: In the wake of last week’s bloody demonstrations in Malawi, the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Trust (SAHRDT) calls on President Bingu wa Mutharika to engage in an open, national debate about the country’s future – rather than resorting to more inflammatory attacks on civil society leaders and pro-democracy activists.

CIVICUS invita a activistas, investigadores y profesionales de la sociedad civil, a líderes empresariales responsables y a representantes de agencias de desarrollo a compartir ideas y experiencias sobre el fortalecimiento de la participación ciudadana y a vincularse con representantes de organizaciones donantes y  gobiernos.

Analysis 2011: Can it be the Year of Reckoning - ingrid Srinath Food insecurity and the future News Zimbabwe: Inconsistency of charges against activists highlight deteriorating human rights situation (Press release) Malawi erupts in anti-government protests

Interview by: Elizabeth Hira, Human Rights Activist and Policy Unit Intern, CIVICUS With: Kelly Dent, Senior Climate Change Policy Advisor for Oxfam International Kelly Dent is Oxfam International’s resident expert on climate change.

PRETORIA – “South Africa is a champion of institutionalizing social, economic and cultural rights such as the human right to food, but it has yet to prove it can deliver results for 12 million poor food insecure people, 70 per cent of which live in rural areas,” said Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, on the last day of his official mission to South Africa*.

A virtual consultation hosted by CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen ParticipationWednesday 20 July, 2011 at 1 pm UTC/GMT The purpose of this thematic consultation is to develop policy recommendations for civil society organisations, public and private sector donors and governments to enable them to bridge the gap between traditional CSOs and online activists.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Excellencies and colleagues; I thank you for this opportunity you gave me to address you on this distinct and historical occasion.

Analysis Co-operation for effective development: Looking to Busan Voices on the road to COP 17: Who should lead the fight on climate change? You should News US violated Egypt’s sovereignty by offering funds to NGOs, says minister Rich nations risk breaking their pledges on farming aid, says anti-poverty group

Interview by: Elizabeth Hira, Human Rights Activist and Policy Unit Intern, CIVICUS Mandeep Tiwana, Policy Manager at CIVICUS, discusses climate change, COP17, and why ordinary people need to lead the fight.

CIVICUS is looking to develop a comprehensive intranet and knowledge management system using Microsoft’s SharePoint 2010 and associated software including: Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 (email) Microsoft Project (Project management) Microsoft Lync/Communication Server (IM Chats, Group chat, VOIP and conference calling) Visio (on-going work flow designs) CIVICUS is seeking proposals from consultants to implement this solution between August and October 2011.

Challenges Facing Women Human Rights Defenders in Africa: Building Momentum for Mobilisation On the 27 July 2011, a webinar was held on building momentum for mobilisation to address the challenges facing women human rights defenders in Africa.

In this article, CIVICUS' Ingrid Srinath spoke with Justin Kilcullen of Trócaire at “If We Were Brave – Leadership Beyond Budget Cuts”, the first Masterclass organised by DTALK Learning, the Irish Aid mandated development training centre at Kimmage Manor Development Studies Centre.

If We Were Brave… Ingrid Srinath, Secretary General - CIVICUS “NGOs should be involved in renegotiating the social contract, joining with states and markets to redefine what kind of society we want nationally and globally.

CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation at the 8th Regional Conference of the International Society for Third Sector Research (ISTR) for Latin American and the Caribbean Conference, Buenos Aires, Argentina – 12- 14 July, 2011.

From a country so repressed that a dissenting word against government will result in a prison sentence, Yuri Dzhibladze*, Founder and President of the Center for the Development of Democracy and Human Rights in Moscow, writes why the international community must not forget Belarus.

Geneva, 7 July 2011 “First of all let me thank you most sincerely for your very kind words and also your strong support and warm welcome on my reappointment as the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

 Below are the questions asked by parties who wanted additional information re our request for proposals for the implementation of our CRM strategy using CiviCRM.

CIVICUS' UN Representative in Geneva, Renate Bloem, made an intervention today that the UN Economic and Social Council reaffirming that "CIVICUS believes that UN member states and global civil society need to work together to ensure quality education for all, in accordance with international norms and best practices.

Analysis Unexpected Revolutions? - Ziad Abdel Samad, Executive Director of the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND), Beirut.

Two hundred Civil Society Platforms and membership Organizations, representing over 10,000 national,international and Global CSOs have endorsed an International Framework that includes five Standards to respect, empower and protect Civil Society around against negative government and Donor actions.

The persecution of civil society activists and organizations, whether they are fighting for justice and law, or clean and open government, or public health, or a safe environment, or honest elections, it's not just an attack against people we admire, it's an attack against our own fundamental beliefs.

CIVICUS is seeking proposals from consultants who have demonstrable capacities implementing constituent relationship management (CRM) solutions to implement CIVICUS' CRM strategy.

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CIVICUS is calling for individuals interested in lending their voluntary services for the translation of the new CIVICUS website and other promotional materials.

Analysis A tale of two chiefs - Ingrid Srinath, Secretary General CIVICUS Russia and China Failing UN Security Council Commitment: CIVICUS An Art, Not a Science - Adele Poskitt, Policy Officer, CIVICUS Why South Africa must not enact the Secrecy Bill  - Mandep Tiwana, Policy Manager CIVICUS Voices of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan civil society heard at the UN - Will Lasky, Eurasia Project Coordinator, CIVICUS From conversations lives can be changed -  Rowena McNaughton, Media Officer, CIVICUS

Two significant global institutions are currently engaged in filling vacancies at the top.

By Mandeep Tiwana, Policy Manager, CIVICUS South African lawmakers are currently meeting in committee to discuss, clause by clause, various aspects of the Protection of Information Bill being championed by the government.

The time has almost come to finalise the consolidation of the findings of the Open Forum process – it is now exactly one week to the second and final Global Assembly 2011 of the Open Forum, 28 to 30 June in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Dear Friends, Comrades, Brothers and Sisters, These are the words Kumi frequently uses to communicate with the broad family of influential people he has worked with over the years and I hope you will allow me to address you in this way also.

Dear CIVICUS member, partner and friend, As you may have heard already, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced on 6 June 2011 his intention to seek a second term of office after his current five-year term expires on 31 December 2011.

David Kode, Policy Officer for CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation* I was asked by the Africa Platform for Development Effectiveness to give a presentation on civil society perspectives/updates towards the Busan High Level Forum during the Platform’s Case Studies Peer Review Session which ran from 5-7 June 2011.

Theme: “Examining critical success factors for participatory governance” Date: 23 June 2011  In order to participate, please register/RSVP to RegularLabs.

Ireland: Big questions, no easy answers - Ingrid Srinath, Secretary General CIVICUS The role of constituency building in advancing gender equality  - Sifiso Dube, Gender and Diversity Officer, CIVICUS Civil society organisations urge Human Rights Council to condemn crackdown in Bahrain and Yemen Aid policy: Classifications questioned in protracted crises Reimagining food systems in the midst of a hunger crisis 2011 Global Development Awards and Medals Competition Resident Representative (application deadline 21 June 2011) Read this issue online now.

Brussels, 9 June 2011.

Sifiso Dube, Gender and Diversity Officer, CIVICUS Many methods have been crafted as a way of achieving gender equality by civil society, governments and the private sector.

Travelling to Ireland this week I find myself speculating on the likelihood that it could see an outbreak of people power of the scale, intensity and persistence that has been witnessed in the Arab world and, more recently, in Spain.

The Coming Global Food Fight - John Cavanagh and Robin Broad G8 declaration won't work without effective development aid Botswana: Mounting tension must end says South African civil society coalition Aid Policy: What the numbers don't tell you Are you part of positive change in the Arab world? The 12th AWID International Forum On Women's Rights And Development: Submission deadline extended Civil Society vacancies and other opportunities Read this issue free online and subscribe to get future issues by email

In the culmination of an intensive six-year process to devise a widely-accepted framework to govern the relationship between businesses and human rights, United Nations Special Representative Professor John Ruggie presented his Final Report on 30 May.

As food prices force millions more under the threshold of absolute poverty into hunger, with predictable consequences even as aid promises are reneged upon, John Cavanagh and Robin Broad outline a route beyond food security to food sovereignty through rooted communities in this week's guest editorial.

It's time for a new international development paradigm for Least Developed Countries, writes David Kode, Policy Officer at CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation World Leaders and policy makers have a remarkable capacity to emulate progress without actually achieving anything.

Ingrid Srinath, Secretary General CIVICUS European powers appear set on perpetuating their arbitrary "entitlement" to the position of Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund in the wake of the controversy that precipitated the resignation earlier this month of Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn.

Adele Poskitt This week I tasted the bitter-sweet fear that is keeping Zimbabwe on its knees.

Civil society has been defined as the space between state, private sector and family or community.

"Arbitrary arrests, detentions and intimidation of activists, journalists and political opponents in Syria by security forces and members of the intelligence unit is no way to respond to legitimate calls for reforms by citizens in Syria," said Netsanet Belay, Policy and Research Director for CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation.

CIVICUS is pleased to announce the winners of its latest round of Innovation Awards.

Civil society organisations (CSOs) around the world are mobilising resources, actions and advocacy to influence key global processes this year.

CIVICUS has had the opportunity to study the draft sustainability framework and in particular the draft Policy on Social and Environmental Sustainability put together by the IFC.

CIVICUS condemns the arrest and detainment of Andrey Yurov, Head of the International Observation Mission of the Committee on International Control over the Human Rights Situation in Belarus.

A CIVICUS inventor passes away – remembering a great civil society leader -  Ingrid Srinath Defrosting the Chilling Effect -  Adele Poskit, Policy officer, CIVICUS NANGO Calls for end to Harassment of Civil Society Activists by Zimbabwe Republic Police Internal displacement on the rise in Libya Changing political spaces of Civil Society Organisations: Report New Zealand Aid Development Scholarships Jobs and internships and; Loads of civil society related news Read this issue online or subscribe now and get all future issues in your inbox!